Fly
by drobin
Summary: In collaboration with Joe King. Story set after events of SR, and will include spoilers from SI and SII, as well. Lois comes to terms with the fact that Jason is Superman's son and deals with her decision to tell the three men in her life.
1. Making Friends

**A/N (Joe King): Title subject to change. First Superman fic. Please excuse me if I get some names wrong, but correct me if I do. This first chapter isn't that good, just a warm up kind of thing. When it says "his loves," I am not saying that Jimmy is gay and loves Clark. I know you probably didn't think that, but I had to make that clear. Enjoy!**

**A/N (drobin): Hi! I'm the new writer for this fic, having taken it over from Joe King, who has generously allowed me to share this work with her. These first few chapters are her own work, simply reposted for me to continue the story. Anyhow, I hope you like where this story goes, and please do feel free to R&R, or IM me with any suggestions you may have. Thanks a bunch! Desiree**

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Lois Lane was thinking as she sat in her cubicle at the Daily Planet, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She had yet to write the piece _Why the World Needs Superman. _One would think it would be an easy piece to write. In the short time he'd been back, he'd proven how necessary he was, saving life after life, plane after plane, and her own life twice. He'd visited her once to take her flying and had visited her son – no, _their _son. Jason was, after all, the son of Superman. She'd known that long before he threw the piano at the guard. He just _didn't _look like Richard, as much as she wished he did. It would make things easier, maybe make it take longer for Richard to figure out. She sighed as she thought about telling Richard the truth. Lois knew he'd be hurt at the idea that the boy he thought was his son _wasn't_. She didn't even want to think about telling Jason.

Just then, Jason laughed, and she turned her head away from the computer to look for her son. He was sitting on Clark's lap and looking at something Clark was holding. She smiled, seeing the look of joy on both boy's faces. For some reason, Jason had taken right to Clark and Clark had taken right to Jason. She'd never seen Jason laugh and smile as much as when he was with Clark. The sight of her son smiling always made Lois feel better.

Lois turned back to her computer right as Jason laughed again, frowning as she looked at the five words typed on her screen and the flashing cursor in the empty white space below. _Why the World Needs Superman. _It shouldn't be so hard to come up with ideas for the why the world needs a superhero who has super speed, super strength, super-sonic hearing, x-ray vision, heat-vision, and can fly. Not to mention that he was very, _very _handsome, kind, and always told the truth. The world could use a man that fought for 'Truth, Justice, and the American Way.' But why was this so hard to put on paper? Lois knew why, but she didn't want to think about. She didn't need to get involved with Superman…it was bad enough that he was re-entering her life through the paper, television, magazines, every-day conversation…She didn't need him making havoc in her heart, though if she were honest with herself, he already was.

"Having trouble coming up with reasons?" a voice said behind her, startling her so that she jumped. "Sorry," the voice said at once, sounding truly apologetic. She knew who it must be. Clark Kent was the only person who would truly apologize for startling her. She plastered a smile on her face, and turned to face Clark, who was holding Jason's hand as he looked at a children's comic. She didn't remember buying him one, so where did he get it? Lois got her answer as Jason scrambled into her lap.

"Mommy, look what Mr. Kent bought me! It's a comic, see! It's about a man who saves people, but has to pretend he's someone else!" Jason said excitedly, showing her a page after page of brightly colored pictures. She smiled. Jason didn't overly enjoy reading anything, but any boy enjoyed comics.

"Did you tell Mr. Kent thank you for your gift, Jason?" Lois asked in a motherly way. Jason nodded without looking up from the comic. Lois rolled her eyes at the top of her son's head and turned to Clark. "You didn't have to do that for him, Clark," she said, half appreciatively, half admonishing.

"Oh, it was no trouble. I was on my way to work and passed a paper stand that had them. I thought of Jason when I saw it, since he seems to like Superman so much," Clark said in his Clark-like way, pushing up his glasses and smiling charmingly. Lois was happy that he didn't knock anything over as he leaned down to look at something Jason had pointed out excitedly.

Lois smiled, this time not forced, and looked around her cubicle which was decorated with her five-year-old's pictured of the man of steel with him, with her, with Richard, with the three of them…and even a few of just Jason, her, and Superman.

"He does like Superman right now, but who in the world doesn't?" Lois said, chuckling slightly and glancing back at Clark, who had stood up again.

"Lex Luthor?" Clark offered, which caused Lois to laugh.

"Yeah, I'd bet money that he didn't like Superman right now. Hey, I'd bet money he never liked Superman," she said, and Clark nodded in agreement.

"Mommy, can I spend lunch with Mr. Kent?" Jason asked, looking at her suddenly and smiling in his most charming, dontcha-just-love-me way. Lois looked at her young son.

"I don't know, Jason, Mr. Kent might have plans…" Lois said slowly, not sure she wanted to agree. Jason was allergic to pretty much everything, or had been until he threw that piano. He'd stopped needing his inhaler after that too…had stopped needing most of his medicine. Lois decided to get him another doctor's appointment, to decide what he really did need. Somehow, she thought it would be very little. Having some super-genes would make him a pretty healthy kid now. Superman had never been sick a day in his life.

"He doesn't mommy," Jason interrupted her thoughts. She gave her son one of those looks that mother's give so well, but he had already turned to Clark. "Do you? Can I come with you?" he said. Clark looked as if he was debating within himself. He looked from Lois to Jason and back again. He looked on the verge of saying no, when Jason said, "Pleeeeeaze, Mr. Kent. Mommy never does anything fun over lunch," Jason said. Clark smiled.

"My lunch is probably a lot like your Mommy's, Jason. It won't be any fun," Clark said, as if in warning, bent over with his hands on his knees. But Jason just laughed his five-year-old laugh.

"But you're fun, Mr. Kent!" he said, as if it was obvious that anyone as fun as Mr. Kent couldn't have a boring lunch. This caused Lois to smile. She was sure that Clark's lunches were…interesting. With how klutzy he was, how could they be anything but?

"Well, if it's okay with your mommy," Clark finally sighed, smiling anyway and standing straight up. Lois was struck suddenly with how tall he was. He had to be at least 6' 3", if not taller. He looked especially tall when Jason jumped off her lamp and ran to stand next to Clark, who smiled down at him … in a _fatherly _way. It actually didn't bother her. It was good if Jason had a lot of adult male role models. She just wished he could count the Superman she knew as one of them. She almost hit the desk with her hand. She had to get her mind off Superman, at least in that manner. Now was not the time to think of Kal-El…Superman. She was no longer his girl, so she had no right to call him by his first name. Lois gave herself a mental shake.

"Mommy, please can I go? Pleeease?" Jason was begging her, hope in his blue eyes. Lios sighed again…she'd been doing that a lot today. She looked up at Clark.

"Are you sure it's okay, Clark? If it's not, he can come with me. I don't mind sharing my lunch with both of the men in my life," she said, as Richard came over and put his hand on her shoulder. Lois could've sworn a hint of anger entered Clark's eyes…but no, it had to be her imagination.

"It's fine, Lois, unless you need Jason with you for something," Clark said and Jason beamed.

"D'ya hear that, Daddy! I get to go have lunch with Mr. Kent!" Jason practically squealed. Richard leaned down next to Lois's ear.

"You sure that's a good idea, honey?" Richard said. She stiffened, and he quickly added, "Kent's heart is in the right place, no doubt about that, but he is a little…well, irresponsible. I mean, he's forgotten his notebook on interviews on more than one occasion. You sure you want someone so….well, klutzy to look after our son?" he asked.

'_He's not your son, buster,' _was the first thought in Lois's mind, but she quickly erased that. Jason was Richard's son, at least in heart, and that's what counted. Lois was pretty sure that Superman now loved Jason as well, if his nighttime visit was any proof. The first thing he did after he got out of the hospital was visit Jason, after all. That had let Lois know that he had heard her, even his state of coma. Superman knew that Jason was his son, was really Jason…well, whatever Superman's last name was. Lois knew that Superman wouldn't mind claiming Jason; he was just like that, but he also knew that he would keep it a secret until she wished. And she definitely wished it. It was for Jason's safety. She had seen the look in Luthor's eyes when he asked whose Jason's father was. She didn't want her son hurt just because he had Superman for a father.

She didn't want to have to constantly fear for him, either. Though she did, just like any mother. But she knew that she had no reason to fear for him if he was with Clark. Clark would take care of him, even if he was a bit irresponsible. He wasn't careless when it came to people. He always showed up on time to appointments…or, usually. You could always depend on Clark. She had said before that Clark was the oldest living boy scout, and he was. He was dependable, loyal, truthful, if a bit lax in the bravery department.

To answer Richard she leaned down towards Jason and out of his reach.

"You gonna have a good time with Mr. Kent?" she asked, and felt a small thrill of triumph when Richard sighed resignedly behind her. She immediately felt guilty. This wasn't a tug of war over her son with Richard, they were a family. She pushed those thoughts aside and listened instead to her sons excited voice.

"Yep. It'll be fun! See daddy, I get to have lunch with Mr. Kent! I like Mr. Kent, don't you, daddy? He's really nice and fun!" Jason was saying…rambling, really. Richard was just nodding absently. Clark never did that. He always actually listened to what people said, always had a kind word or bit of advice ready. That was Clark, good ol' dependable Clark. She mentally slapped herself. Why was she comparing Richard to Clark? She had no romantic interest in Clark whatsoever. _So why are you comparing him to your fiancé? And finding him better? _A traitorous voice said in her head. She ignored the voice. Luckily, a distraction came in the form of Jimmy Olsen.

"Hi ya!" he said, his camera around his neck. He took his photography seriously, and with how hard Perry was on him if he didn't get "the" pictures, Lois couldn't blame him. "Did I hear you say you get to eat with Clark, Jason?" Jimmy said, leaning down to smile at her son. Jason smiled widely and nodded.

"Yep. Mr. Kent and I are gonna have a real good time, aren't we Mr. Kent?" Jason said, looking up at Clark with adoring eyes.

"Well, we'll try," Clark said. Jason totally ignored his answer.

"See?" Jason said to Jimmy.

"Hey, Jason, would you mind if I came along. I don 't have anyone to eat lunch with, and I want to have fun with you and Mr. Kent," Jimmy said. Lois smothered a laugh. Jimmy idolized Clark. He had been really excited when Clark came back and had been talking about him nonstop while he was gone. He went to lunch almost everyday with Clark. Lois was sure that his loves went in this order: 1) Photogrophy. 2) His mother 3) Clark Kent 4) Superman. She shook her head. Jimmy was the only person who could like Clark more that Superman…well, maybe except for Jason. Her son was looking at Clark with huge, blue eyes as if no one else could compare with the brown-haired, blue-eyed, tall man before him.

"Sure, Jimmy!" Jason said, smiling. Lois heard Richard sigh in relief behind her and felt a surge of anger. But she had no right to be angry. She had to remind herself that Richard didn't know Clark very well and had their son's best interests in heart. She put herself in Richard's place, and knew that she would be reacting the same way.

Clark was a stranger to Richard, unlike Clark and herself. They had been friends since he first came to work at the Planet. They had worked together on things that had to do with Superman (though she'd done the real writing about Superman, he'd just gotten peoples feelings on the matter). They'd been together when the Daily Planet had been turned into a tabloid for a few days, and had been just as appalled as he was. They'd worked on the blackout together. They'd worked in the same building, on the same floor for quite a while.

She knew Clark, and counted him a close friend. She'd been sad when she'd first heard of his leave, but that had quickly fallen away in the pain of Superman leaving without saying goodbye. She was glad that he was back. You could always count on Clark Kent, and Lois needed someone like that. Someone she wasn't interested in romantically to just be there for her. Clark was her friend, whereas Clark was someone Richard didn't know at all. She couldn't fault Richard in the slightest. He was just being a good father.

"Ready?" Clark asked, and Lois quickly interrupted.

"Wait! Clark, here's a list of all the things Jason's allergic to," Lois said, handing him a few sheets of paper. Clark took them, his eyebrow's rising to his hairline.

"He can't eat any of this?" Clark asked, and she nodded her head the affirmative. "Poor kid," she heard Clark mutter. "Well, we'll work around it. Let's go!" Clark said and three of them-Clark, Jimmy, and Jason-headed off to lunch.

"Are you ready, hun?" Richard asked her, holding out her jacket. She slipped into it and they headed off as well, with their hands intertwined. They weren't aware that anyone was watching, but how could they be? Their watcher was hidden by a concrete wall.

**A/N Tell me if I should continue with the story or delete it. Reviews much appreciated.**

**Poll question: Do you think that Jason heard what his mother told Superman? Do you think that he already has his super-hearing?**

**More poll questions if this story continues.**

**A/N It will switch POV throughout the story. Read on!**


	2. Saving the World, Save Me a Seat

Chapter 2: Saving the World, Save Me a Seat

Clark was whistling a tune-not really happy, as he watched Lois and Richard in the elevator, holding hands. He remembered a time when Lois had said she loved him-well, not _him_ Clark Kent, but _him_ Superman. It hurt to see them together. He let the image fade back to the wall of the elevator. He didn't need to see that, even if he could. Just because you could see anything didn't mean you had to look.

Jason was chatting away, and that made Clark smile. It still stunned him that Jason was his son, that he was a father. He had a child…a wonderful child as well. Jason Kent had a nice ring to it, though Lois would never think that that's what his name was. No, Lois had long since forgotten the connection between Clark Kent and Superman, and though he didn't like it, that's the way Clark wanted it. It was easier on Lois. Safer, too.

"Mr. Kent?" Jason said, tugging on his hand. Clark started and looked down at the young child-who had his hair and nose-and smiled.

"Sorry, Jason. I missed what you said," he told the boy, looking into his smiling eyes. There was so much life in his young soul, and it pleased Clark to see it. His son was happy…and that was enough for Clark.

**  
**"Where are we eating?" Jason said. Clark smiled, thinking. He knew where he wanted to eat, and he knew where Jimmy would want to eat. He also knew it was Jimmy's turn to pick, but Clark was sure that Jimmy wouldn't mind letting Jason pick. Clark would give Jimmy his next turn.

"You choose, Jason," Clark said, and the little boy smiled all the wider. Clark had a feeling he knew what the five year old would choose.

"McDonalds!" Jason cried almost at once. Clark chuckled to himself. Of course, McDonalds, children's favorite restaurant. Every child loved McDonalds, and Jason was no different.

"Sure," Clark said, thinking of what Jason could eat there. He was allergic to pretty much everything according to the list Lois had given him. He'd read it as soon as it'd been handed to him. Poor kid. Clark wondered how his son could be allergic to so much. I mean, Clark wasn't allergic to anything-except Kryptonite, that is-and hadn't been sick except for that short while when Lex Luthor's nuclear version of Superman had been out and scratched Superman. This kid was very unhealthy, which was very weird. He was Superman's kid, after all.

"Uh…Clark, are you sure that's a good idea?" Jimmy whispered in his ear.

"He'll be fine, Jimmy," Clark assured him, though he wasn't too sure himself. What could the kid get? Well, if all else failed, he'd go grab a hotdog or something for Jason.

"Whatever you say, Clark," Jimmy said, shrugging. Just then, Jason interrupted.

"Mr. Kent, do you think that Superman had to pretend to be someone else?" he asked, still looking at the comic that Clark had gotten him. Clark smiled as he looked at the pictures of the normal guy changing into the superhero, ready to run off and protect the world.

"I'm sure he does, Jason. How do you think he gets money to buy food and clothes?" Clark asked, still looking at the comic as the superhero got to the scene of the crime and saw his lady love's note, crying for help. He knew what that felt like.

"But couldn't he just take what he needed?" Jason asked, turning the page in his comic.

"Jason, do you think Superman would steal?" Clark asked, almost sternly. All he needed was his son thinking that he stole things as Superman. He had had his bad days, like that time when he was given Kryptonite that wasn't Kryptonite, but turned him evil. But when he was Superman, he never stole. He might break a few of the laws of science-the Law of Gravity, for one-but he tried to follow the laws of man.

"Nu-uh," Jason said almost at once, turning to look up at Clark. He looked very grave for a five-year-old. "He's Superman, Mr. Kent. Superman doesn't do bad stuff," Jason explained. "He's a good guy. He stops the bad guys." Jason nodded to himself, pleased with what he'd said, and went back to looking at his comic. Almost immediately, he looked back up at Clark. "But doesn't anyone give Superman anything for what he does?" he asked. Clark smiled. No, no one gave him anything, at least not anything that could be physically given. He got that feeling of accomplishment every time he saved someone, he got the joy of seeing people he'd saved walking and breathing and talking and laughing, he'd once gotten the joy of hearing Lois cry, "Superman! Superman, it's me!". He got many things out of being Superman, though none of them anything he could actually use. He wouldn't trade what he got for the world.

"Do you think Superman would want to be given money for what he does?" Clark asked. Jason was silent for a while, thinking.

"Not money…I don't think he'd want to be paid for what he does. I'm not sure clothing either…how would you know what size to get? And he has his red-caped suit," Jason said. "Mr. Kent, what do you think Superman does?" Jason asked.

"Does? Well, he saves the world, doesn't he?" Clark asked, trying to play the reporter Clark Kent.

He heard Jimmy chuckle quietly behind him and whisper, "That's Clark." Clark couldn't help but smile.

"I know _that_!" Jason said, loudly, causing a few people around them to look. Clark didn't care. "But what does he _do_? You and mommy and Mr. Olsen work at the Planet, but what does Superman do?" Jason asked. Clark sighed. How could he answer that? He always told the truth, even if it was a little misleading. He didn't want to lie. He just didn't do that.

"Well, Jimmy…I don't know Superman. I'm not sure anyone knows what he does, except maybe Superman himself," Clark answered. That was the truth. He didn't know Superman, at least not in the sense of a friend. He _was_ Superman. And he knew that no one else knew what he did, except himself. Well, and his mom.

"Hmmm…I think he's a police man," Jason said. He nodded his head firmly. "Yup, Superman is a police man."

"What makes you say that, Jason?" Jimmy asked, entering the conversation.

"Well, police men help people and so does Superman. Police men know everything bad that goes on, and so does Superman. Superman doesn't like bad guys, and police men don't like them either," Jason said, as if explaining that the begging of the alphabet was "A, B, C." Clark had to admit, it made sense if you didn't really know who Superman was.

Clark looked up and saw the golden arches ahead, signifying that they were coming to McDonalds. It seemed Jason had seen them too.

"Looky, Mr. Kent! Look! We're here! We're here!" he said with a little boy's enthusiasm. Jason was almost jumping up and down.

"So, what d'ya wanna eat, Jason?" Clark asked as they approached the cash register. Jason had taken his hand as was practically skipping. Clark didn't see what was that great about McDonalds, but it seemed that Jason thought the place was great.

"Chicken Nuggets," Jason said at once. "I'm aloud to have those." He licked his lips. The lady behind the counter rung it up. Clark nodded, thankful that it was an easy choice.

"I'll take…a quarter-pounder with cheese, hold the pickle," Clark said, looking at the menu. He didn't come to McDonalds that often, but he'd just heard Jimmy order a quarter-pounder, and decided to get the same thing. He could see in the picture that they had pickles on them, and he had never liked pickles. A waste of a perfectly good cucumber if you asked him.

"Will that be all?" the young woman behind the counter asked. She had a bored voice, and was picking her nails. Not at all the happy, friendly service that McDonalds advertised.

"Yes, miss. Thank you," Clark said, handing over the correct amount of change. They waited a few minutes for their food and then went and sat down with Jimmy, who had gotten his food before them. He had gotten a window seat, and Clark appreciated the view. The McDonalds was on the third floor of a business building.

The reporter Clark Kent supposedly didn't like heights, so he took one look out the window and the magnificent view and shuddered, pushing his glasses higher on his nose like he always did. He took a seat away from the window, missing the view inside, but knowing that this was part of being the easily-scared, scatter-brained journalist that he was.

"Oh yeah, you don't like heights, do you, Clark? I forgot," Jimmy said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Clark shook his head, but then froze. He thought he heard a scream. He listened more closely.

"Oh Gosh, help me! Help!" someone was crying from a few floors above him. He quickly looked up, through everything in his way to see a woman dangling from a broken railing on the tenth floor of the building. Clark looked back at Jimmy, rifling through his pockets.

"Oh…I don't have my pills! Indigestion," he explained as he checked his pockets again for the non-existent pills. He was telling the truth. He _didn't _have them, but he never had them, either. Still, it wasn't a lie. "I gotta go get them. Sorry!" he said, heading off before either Jason or Jimmy had time to say anything.

He had to get up there, and fast. It was the lunch hour rush, and it would take the fire department a while to get there. He knew that those rusty screws wouldn't hold much longer. He started walking faster, seeing a community bathroom just ahead of him. He slipped in and changed in whirl, quickly becoming Superman. He had to get to that woman, before she fell to her death. He quickly slipped on his trenchcoat over the suit, not wanting to be noticed. Clark glanced in the direction of the elevators, and saw that their was a line. He checked the stairs with his x-ray vision, and say that they were clear. Clark almost jogged over to them, hurrying and checking his watch, trying to make it appear that he was late for a meeting. As soon as he heard the door click shut behind him, the coat was off and he was going down those stairs as fast as he could.

"Ahhhhhhh!" a scream hit his ears. He heard the screws break and the railing falling, along with the woman, through the air. Clark heard the people stopping in the street, looking up at the falling woman. He hit the doors at top speed and flew up as quickly as he could, catching the woman as she fell and breaking through the window of one of the businesses in the building.

As the glass shattered around them, he made sure he took the blows from the glass-they didn't harm him-and maneuvered so that they landed on their feet, with him still holding the woman. She was clutching his neck and breathing heavily, but looking up at him greatfully.

Superman slowly set the lady down, wanting to make sure that she could stand. She did, if a bit shakily. "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked, looking at her with concern. As she nodded the affirmative, he checked her over. "Well, you don't have any broken bones, ma'am," he told her, "but you might want to get checked by a doctor." Just then he recognized a clicking behind him for what it was. He turned and saw that Jimmy had his camera up and was taking picture after picture of Superman with the woman he'd just saved. It turned out the buisiness he'd crashed into was McDonalds.

"Hello," he said, looking at everyone. "I just want everyone to know that it is still perfectly safe to lean on a railing. Only about .1 percent of them have done this in the world in the last 50 years," he told the crowd. "Thank you," he said. He smiled and took off into the air, hearing the cheers from below.

As soon as Clark had circled the building, he sped up, so that he was going almost faster than the speed of light-definitely faster than the normal eye could see-and slipped up the stairwell, grabbing his coat. He changed as fast as he could and slipped back into the chaos of McDonalds unnoticed. Or mostly unnoticed.

"Mr. Kent! Mr. Kent! Superman was here!" Jason yelled enthusiastically, running over to him. "He was really here! He saved some lady and came through the window! Jimmy got pictures, see! See!" Jason said excitedly, really hopping up and down, as Clark looked through his glasses at Jimmy's pictures.

"You know what, Clark? You always seem to miss him," Jimmy said, shaking his head at Clark's bad luck. Pretty much everyone in Metropolis still loved to see Superman. The novelty of him being back still hadn't worn off, even though he'd been back a while.

"Yeah, it always seems that I do," Clark said, looking at the picture of himself as he smiled at the camera-it appeared that way. Clark knew that Superman was smiling at his son, Jason. He's made sure to search Jason out, though his eyes had found his son automatically, who was giving Superman an awed look. Clark wondered if Jason would ever know who his real father was, or if he'd grow up believing that it was Richard, to look at Superman simply the way other boys did. An iconic figure of justice, a hero with super powers, but someone out of reach to the normal child. He hoped not. He wondered if Jason would ever know that the clumsy reporter he loved so much was Superman. Clark wanted him to, but he didn't know if would be a good idea. Clark couldn't help wanting someone other than himself and his mother to know. It would make the secret that much easier to carry, knowing that he could talk to one of his friends about it or always have someone to cover up for him. But he was Superman, he could handle it. He had to handle it.

"Well, it's pretty dangerous with this glass all over the place. Let's take our meals over to the park," Clark offered, looking around the place and pretending to be a bit frightened, picking up his sandwich. Jimmy nodded, absentmindedly grabbing his, looking at his pictures proudly.

"Perry's gonna love these!" he said. Perry rarely praised Jimmy's pictures, but Clark had to admit that the ones Jimmy had just gotten were excellent. Jimmy was a great photographer, with some bad luck when it came to his pictures.

Clark grabbed Jimmy's meal and they headed off, Jason running a bit ahead, but always staying in sight, even of the average eye. He grabbed a bench and patted the spot beside him.

"Saved you a seat, Mr. Kent!" Jason said, smiling up at Clark. Clark couldn't help but smile down at his son.

"Thank you," he said, taking the seat. Jimmy sat next to Clark as Clark handed Jason his nuggets.

"You know what, Mr. Kent?" Jason said, and without giving Clark time to reply, he threw his arms around Clark, and said, "You're really cool!" All thought of Superman was forgotten as Jason chatted with one of his favorites adults.

**A/N (Joe King): Corny, I know. I've never written anything like this, so I'm not sure if it turned out good or not. This isn't one of those "major" moments like they have in the movies, so I didn't spend too much time on it. Hope you liked it! Review even if you didn't. Thank you!**

**Question: Do you like Richard? Bad way to phrase the question. Do you think Richard is a good guy (not in the hero/villain way)? Please give a reason.**


	3. Lunch at the Diner

**Chapter 3:**

"Richard…Clark is a good guy," Lois said as they sat down at their favorite restaurant. It was a small diner-the city's greasy spoon-and had all-American meals, which was just the way Richard liked it. Lois liked it, too-who didn't like grilled cheese and a chocolate shake and fries?-but she could go for some Chinese or Mexican some time. Still, Tony's was a good diner, with very good food.

"I know Lois. From what Jimmy told me about him, I'm sure he's great. But…he is a bit…how do I put this?...scatter-brained. He looses everything, Lois. I don't want him loosing Jason," Richard said, putting his hand on hers. She couldn't help but smile at him. He really was a good…step-father to Jason. She had to tell him. Now would be the perfect time-except for the happy look on his face. She couldn't ruin such a good day for him…no, that would be cruel. She might tell him today, just not now. Later, maybe. Yes…later.

"He won't, Richard. He's a good man, Richard. He's loyal, and friendly, and usually happy-it sound like I'm describing a dog, doesn't it?" Lois said, thinking about her description. She and Richard looked at each other and started to chuckle

"Yes, you do make Clark sound like a dog. I'll guess I'll just have to trust you on this, Lois. I'm sure you know him…you've worked with him quite a while," Richard said with a smile, he patted her hand and leaned back, to look at the menu. Lois smiled at him and glanced out the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw something blue…had it been Superman? No, she was imagining things. Why was she thinking of Superman now anyway? She didn't love him anymo-…had never loved him. He had just been Superman, someone she had to interview. No different than anyone else. It didn't matter that he had been handsome, and kind, and brave, and had the nicest blue eyes she'd ever seen. It didn't matter that he always made her feel happy or that she got this…odd feeling every time she saw him. She wasn't in love with him…never had been. Anyone would feel like that when they saw a superhero. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Lois?" Richard's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she saw his hand wave in front of her face. "Lois-oh, good. You've come back," he said, as she started and looked at him, "You looked as if you were somewhere else there for a minute. What were you thinking about?" Richard asked, taking a sip of his cherry coke.

Lois cast her mind around, trying to formulate a good lie quickly. Superman might always tell the truth, but that didn't mean Lois Lane always did. "I was thinking about an assignment," she said smoothly. Richard chuckled.

"You're always thinking about an assignment, Lois. That's why you're the best journalist the Daily Planet has, Richard said, and there was pride in his eyes. He loved her…he took pride in her accomplishments and was always there for her when she failed. He would do spontaneous things that made her day. He was doting man, and Lois really did love him. But…what about Superman? Had he loved her once? She'd thought he did, until he just left without saying anything. How could you love someone and then just leave, without even saying goodbye? Maybe it was like Clark said…that it was too hard to say goodbye. But he was Superman. He could do so much, was just so unafraid…how could it be hard to say goodbye? She sighed, thinking.

"You okay, hun? You sure it's just an assignment?" Richard asked, picking up on her mood at once. She'd heard him say that she was a mystery, but he understood her pretty well. He really was a wonderful guy.

"Yeah, Richard. I'm fine," she said, smiling at him as convincingly as she could. She was very convincing.

"Okay, but I'm always here if you need to talk," he told her, and then smiled up at the waitress who'd come to take their order. He ordered for both of them, knowing what Lois liked. Yep, her grilled cheese, shake, and fries. That's what she always got.

"So, what is this assignment?" Richard asked. "Whatever it is, I'm sure that you'll get the inside scoop on it. You always do," he told her, smiling encouragingly. He really was having a good day if he was smiling this much.

"Oh…just another piece on Superman. I just don't know what angle to do it from. I've done pretty much everything there is to do about Superman. I mean, Perry's had me on him since the first day he showed up, and now I'm back on him. There's just not that much of a story anymore. You can only write about how wonderful he is or how amazing his powers are a few times before people get tired of it. I swear, I've written so many pieces on him that I'm not sure there's another one I _can_ write," she told Richard. It was kind of the truth. She had written a lot about Superman, and there were only so many times you could write the same thing.

"Honey, you'll do great. Like I said before, you always do. Superman will always be in the paper-I mean, he's Superman!-and you'll always be writing about him. It's just something you do," he told her, not really helping. But then she noticed that he didn't sound jealous anymore.

"What changed your mind about him?" Lois said, taking a sip of her water. She didn't order pop because she was just going to be getting a shake.

"What d'you mean?" Richard asked, throwing his hands slightly out and shrugging.

"Well…last time we talked about him you weren't exactly talking about how wonderful he was. You were sounding…sounding like a jealous husband," she said, laughing slightly. Richard gave her a put out look.

"Well…let me see. It's considered common knowledge that you were in love with Superman-hey! I said it's considered common knowledge, not that it was," Richard said, putting his hands up as if in defense as Lois glared at him. "How could I not be jealous? I mean, if your first lover was-supposedly was Superman, of course I'd be jealous of him. I mean, how do I, a normal guy, compare with the greatest superhero on earth?" Richard said, shrugging slightly. Lois couldn't help but smile. She knew what he was talking about. How did Richard, who was perfectly normal, compare to Superman?

Lois didn't let herself think about it. She loved Richard, and she didn't need to tempt herself with Superman.

"If I ever date Superman, I'll let you know," she told Richard, smiling. HE shook his head, but he was grinning too.

"All right, Lois, I'll drop the topic," he said, leaning back in his hair again, taking his hand with him and off of her own hand. "I wonder where Jason's eating with Clark and Jimmy?" he wondered out loud. Lois shrugged.

"I don't know. I hope Jason knows what to order. I don't like having to tell him no, and I don't think Clark will either," she said, worrying her lip. As much as she trusted Clark, Lois couldn't help but worry. She was a mother, after all.

"You know what the worst thing about Tony's is?" Richard asked, looking from his watch as the waitress brought their food. "We have 15 minutes to eat. Enjoy!" He picked up his burger and took a bite. Lois started eating her grilled cheese. And as she did, her mind again strayed to Superman.

Where was he? What was he doing? Where did he live? Who was he? There was more to than Superman, Lois was sure of it. What who…unbidden, the image of Clark Kent came to mind. Lois laughed, causing Richard to look at her.

"What?" he asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

"I was just remembering whan you compared a certain Mr. Kent so Superman," Lois said, still laughing. Richard started laughing too. It was a funny picture, the bespectacled reporter in a Superman suit.

"It is an…interesting idea. Superman in a three-piece suit instead of a blue one with a red cape," Richard said, chortling, "or Superman as klutzy as Clark Kent."

Lois nodded, still chuckling. The image of Superman tripping and knocking a building over popped into her mind, and she laughed. It was only funny because she knew it wouldn't happen.

"If we keep talking, we'll never get our lunch eaten," Richard said, smiling and taking another bite of his burger. Lois started to eat as well, putting ketchup on her fries. The ate in silence, hurrying to make sure they got to the office in time.

As Richard paid up, Lois went to wait outside, looking around, her gaze flickering to the sky.

"Well, I'm ready. Do you want to walk or just take a cab? Walking will probably be faster," Richard said as he came up behind her. She started, but quickly put her gaze on the road. Richard was right. It was very busy in the street. Walking would be faster.

"Let's walk," she said. Richard took her hand and they headed off. Richard was chatting to Lois, who was nodding, but not really paying attention. She was a bit preoccupied. She really was getting worried for Jason now, even though she trusted Clark. How well _did _she know Clark? He had just left, without saying goodbye to anyone and without telling anyone where he was headed. He was just…gone one day, just like Superman had left without saying goodbye. Lois smiled at yet another comparison between the fearful reporter and the fearless superhero. And they hadn't been that good of friends before hand, even if they had been partners on many an assignment. She didn't know much about him at all. She hadn't even been able to come up with one thing about Clark when she'd introduced him to Richard. How do you work with someone for that long and not even know what their parents names were? She really didn't know Clark. But one thing she _did _know about him, his heart was in the right place. He wouldn't hurt Jason or be careless with him. That's just how he was…he was, well, Clark. There really wasn't a better way to explain it than that.

"Lois? Are you sure you're all right?" Richards voice cut into her thoughts, she jumped again, then kicked herself mentally for becoming so preoccupied. She was too jumpy recently, and she knew that Richard was a smart guy. He wouldn't buy into her lies for long…he was a reporter, after all, and reporters were good at spotting the truth.

"I'm fine, Richard," Lois said, smiling at him and squeezing his hand. He smiled back, but there was still concern in her eyes. "Honestly, Richard…I'm just a bit preoccupied. What with Perry becoming basically obsessed with Superman recently-and giving me any assignment that means an interview with Superman is necessary-and with what Lex Luthor did recently, not to mention Jason suddenly getting healthy…it's just been a strange month, that's all," she told him, still smiling reassuringly. She wouldn't get into what she was thinking about in truth…because it had too much to do with Superman. Richard was already suspicious about their former relationship, even though Lois denied that one ever existed. Richard was too smart not to know that their relationship had gone farther than reporter and assignment. She didn't want to add fuel to the fire, at least not now.

"All right, Lois," Richard said in a way that made it impossible for even reporter Lois Lane to tell if he believed her, "whatever you say." Richard started to whistle absentmindedly, and Lois let the sound soothe her nerves.

The sound of Richard whistling just had this calming effect on her right now, but she couldn't explain why. It had the same effect that Superman's voice usually had on her…maybe because Richard whistled, strangely, quite deeply-deeper, even, than his normal voice. It reminded her of Superman's voice. Lois couldn't stop the picture of the Man of Steel that popped into her mind, nor did she particularly want to. That picture was far more comforting than any whistle could ever be. She smiled slightly as she remembered Superman offering his hand, asking her to come with him. She closed her eyes and remembered his warmth, the way his arms felt around her, the way- "Agh!" Lois's thoughts were cut off once again by Richard, but this time he had stopped her from falling flat on her face. She had tripped over an uneven spot in the sidewalk, not seeing the hole because of her closed eyes.

"Lois, are you _sure _you're okay?" Richard asked again. Lois nodded, chuckling slightly.

"Yes. Like I told you, I'm preoccupied," she told him, taking her hand out of his to brush herself off-even though she hadn't really fallen. She straightened up and righted her jacket.

"Sure," he said, still in that incomprehensible voice. She was beginning to hate that voice…it was much easier to deal with someone that you could read. "You looked like you were on another planet," Richard told her, taking her hand again. Lois nodded a bit distractedly.

"No…but I was with someone whose from another planet," she muttered, making sure Richard couldn't understand her.

"What, dear?" he said.

"Nothing, honey, nothing," she told him, smiling. Her mind was still on Superman, and she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. It was kind of annoying, but she couldn't say that she _really _minded. No, she didn't mind the last son of Krypton at all, but she did wish that he could choose a more convenient time to pop into her head…but had his schedule been set to hers? No…his schedule was the worlds schedule, and that's the way it was and always would be. Now she really wanted her mind off Superman. She didn't like being jealous of the whole world when, in truth, she had no right to be. She was Richard, and not Superman. She had no claim to him, no matter if she loved him or not.

She almost jumped again. '_Where_ _had _that_ thought come from_?' she asked herself. But she knew full well where it had come from. It had come from her heart. She loved Superman, and she knew it. She knew it no matter how hard she tried to deny it. She sighed deeply.

"Lois, I know I've asked this a lot, but are you okay?" Richard asked her. Lois laughed. It wasn't particularly funny, but she needed to laugh.

"Yes, Richard. I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. He nodded, and finally smiled back.

"Good…I don't want to see my uncle if he finds out his best reporters off the job right after Superman's big save," he said, grimacing at the thought. Lois laughed, but grimaced too. That wouldn't be a pretty sight. "Well, I-" Richard began, but a voice from their left cut them off.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Jason said, hurrying over to them from the park. Clark was right behind him, talking with Jimmy who was showing Clark something on his camera. Jimmy looked overjoyed. Lois couldn't help but wonder what pictures were on the camera. She wondered if it would be an assignment given to her, or maybe to Clark, even.

"Hi, Jason!" she said, happily leaning down and hugging her son. She stayed down, so that she was at eye level with him. "Did you have a good lunch with Mr. Kent?"

"Yeah!" he said, his eyes widening. "Guess what happened, mommy! Guess what happened!" he said, and he was hopping up and down slightly. Lois put a hand on his shoulder, worried about his asthma. No matter that it hadn't acted up since he threw that piano…all they needed was an asthma attack right now.

"What?" she said, not expecting at all the answer that came from her sons mouth.

"Superman flew through the window!" he said, very excited. Lois froze. Superman flew threw the window?

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He saved some lady from falling! He threw right though McDonald's window with her! There was glass everywhere, which is why Mr. Kent made us leave. But he was there, mommy! Superman was there!" he said, talking fast in a very excited way. Lois shook her head. Nothing would ever distract her from Superman at this rate.

"Well, why don't we all walk back to the office together?" Clark said, being Clark. Lois looked up and noticed Richard checking his watch.

"Look at these photo's, Miss Lane!" Jimmy said, almost awed. Lois looked, and saw Superman holding a woman, glass all around. She saw his mouth was open and knew that he was asking if the woman was okay. Hadn't he asked her that question million's of times? The next one was Superman smiling at the camera. It was an excellent shot. Perry would be really pleased with these. She looked at the smiling Superman down to the smiling Clark and Jason. Clark had a nice smile. She'd never noticed it before. She glanced back at the camera, just thinking that his smile was a lot like Superman's, but Jimmy had it back in front of his face, and was looking at his pictures again. He looked like a proud father looking at his children. Lois shook her head. Some things would never change.

**A/N (Joe King): I feel like this chapter isn't very good and I had planned a different ending, but I decided to use that ending for the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews! And I promise it gets better in the next chapter.**

_**Question: **_**What was your favorite line in the movie? And how many times did you see it (specify if it was 3-d or regular, please)? **

**Feel free to tell me any questions you'd like to see up here for poll questions later on in the story, though I don't promise to use them all. THNX!**


	4. Thoughts and Revelations

SupportSeverusSnape: I don't mind if you feel obligated to review all my chapters here. In fact, I encourage you to do so! ;-) Thanks for all the reviews! And yes, if only Richard knew he had correctly guessed Superman's secret identity. If only Lois knew she was _laughing_ at Clark as Superman's secret identity!

ReadingRed: You know, I think you just hit on all of my favorite lines. Of course, there are so many great ones that it's hard to pick just one, but I think the one line that really does it for me is the little dialogue between Lois and Lex on the boat. Classic!

MamaXunicorn: That's my favorite line, too! It always makes me smile, because no matter how diabolical his scheme, Luthor always underestimates Superman.

Smilyface2020: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I'll let Joe King know, since she wrote the first three chapters. Hopefully, you'll continue to do so through the end.

**A/N: Well, starting this chapter, this story is completely my work. The first three belonged to Joe King, who did a fantastic job bringing this story to life, and I will try my hardest to live up to everyone's expectations for the story. The results of the first three polls were: **

**Only one person answered the question about Jason hearing, and this person thought that he did hear Lois when she mentioned to Superman that he was Jason's father. My answer to the poll: I agree. He already seems to have super strength and super vision; why not super hearing already, as well?**

**Most people have seen the movie multiple times, and one person has seen it also once in 3-D in the theatres. My answer to the poll: I own the movie, so I've seen it many times, but never in 3-D.**

**With the exception of one person, people seem to think that Richard is, on the whole, a good guy. One person thought he was no good for Lois, and only a good person on the surface, but if provoked, could snap. My answer to the poll: I generally do things that are canon, unless I mention the story I'm working on is A/U. Lois told Superman in the movie that Richard was a good man, and I agree. That doesn't mean that I think he's necessarily right for Lois, though. ;-)**

**Most people seem to have multiple answers for their favorite lines, but the majority (myself included) likes the dialogue between Lois and Luthor on board the **_**Gertrude­**_

**A/N 2: By the way, one of the lines from this chapter were shamelessly stolen from "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman". Even if you've never seen the television show, see if you can find it. Kudos to those who figure it out! drobin**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Olsen, these photos of Superman are first-page material!" Perry announced ten minutes later. "Now, if only we had a story to go along with them," he suggested menacingly, giving Lois a pointed look. Lois, Richard, Clark, Jimmy, and Jason had entered the newsroom from their separate lunches in time to catch their Editor-in-Chief coming back from his own lunch, and Jimmy had wasted no time in showing his boss the photos that he had taken of Superman at McDonald's.

"Don't look at me, Chief," Lois defended herself. "I wasn't even there! Talk to Clark," she suggested, gesturing to her bumbling co-worker. "He's the one that took Jimmy and Jason to McDonald's for lunch in the first place."

Perry thought about it for a second, then nodded his agreement. "OK. Kent, you're on the Superman rescue this time. Lois, I want to see that editorial piece you've been working on for the last week on my desk by the time I leave tonight. It took you practically no time to write one entitled _Why the World Doesn't Need Superman_; it should take you even less to write one entitled _Why the World Needs Superman_. Stop dawdling, understand?"

Lois nodded, resigned. "Understood, Perry. But first, can I talk to you for a second? I have a favor to ask." She lowered her voice so no one would hear her, but everyone had left already anyhow. Jimmy was off somewhere, undoubtedly getting his Superman shots printed and down to the copy room; Richard had headed off to his office, expecting a conference call with the London, Paris, Rome, Buenos Aires, and Beijing offices; and Clark had taken Jason to his desk and perched the boy on his knee. Lois could see Clark already hard at work on his story, and Jason was drawing some picture, it looked like.

She turned her attention back to Perry in time to hear his answer.

"Come into my office, Lois," Perry conceded, gesturing for the reporter to precede him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Clark forced himself to keep his typing down to a human speed, at least. The last thing he needed was for Jason to figure out that he was the Man of Steel.

_Although, if I'm honest with myself, I would love nothing more than for both Lois and our son to know my secret,_ he thought to himself. But it was better this way. He knew it was safer for both of them if they didn't know who he was and if the world at large didn't know Jason was actually Superman's son instead of Richard's.

The knowledge didn't stop him from aching for his child, though. These stolen moments with him as Clark, and the nightly visits as Superman just weren't nearly enough for him. He needed to figure out a way he could see Jason more often, but he was at a loss as to how that would even be possible.

Clark was well aware of what was going on around him in the newsroom. Shortly after he and Jason had come to his desk, he had heard Richard head into his office and dial the phone. Now the International Editor was in a _very_ vocal argument with the head of the Paris office about a fire in their print shop, and with the head of the Buenos Aires office about the structural damage to their building from a tidal wave caused by Lex Luthor's Kryptonite island.

_That man will never stop being a menace,_ Clark thought glumly. _It never even occurred to me that that stupid island would have caused damage anywhere other than Metropolis. Looks like Superman will be making world-wide rounds tonight._

As Lois and Perry headed into the editor's office, he focused his attention on their conversation. He didn't do it on purpose, but his hearing was naturally attuned to both Lois and to Jason. He heard her ask Perry to take Jason for the evening, mentioning some time alone with Richard, and he forced his hearing away from her. He didn't need to know the details of their relationship. Honestly, he didn't _want_ to know.

Glancing down at the boy in his lap, Clark smiled sadly at what he may never have, before turning his attention – with a vengeance – to his computer screen. The story about his alter-ego would be a breeze compared to his personal life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What's the matter, Lois?" Perry asked gruffly, settling himself down in his editor's chair. Lois perched in one of the club chairs in front of the desk and fingered her skirt nervously. Finally, she recalled that she was Lois Lane – intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet – and plucked up the courage to ask her favor and get it over with. She gazed directly at her boss and opened her mouth.

"I need to know if you and Alice will take Jason tonight," she said in a rush, cringing slightly. The request sounded pathetic, even to her ears.

Perry chuckled lowly. "Is that all? Why all the secrecy? You know Jason's welcome over anytime! Why, Alice and I almost consider him a grandchild!"

"Well, I kind of…have to have some time alone with Richard tonight." She ducked her head, hoping Perry would assume she just wanted some _romantic_ time alone with his nephew and leave it at that.

No such luck.

"You're finally going to tell him, aren't you?" he asked, leaning back in his chair, satisfied. He steepled his fingers across his stomach and waited, grinning.

"Uh…tell him?" Lois pretended to play dumb. "Tell him _what_, exactly?"

"Great Caesar's Ghost, Lois! You're finally going to tell Richard that he's not really the boy's father, aren't you?"

Lois blanched. "How did you know about that?" she asked, glancing around. _And, are you aware who __**is **__Jason's father?_ She added to herself. Was it written on her forehead that she had slept with Superman, for instance?

"Lois, I did _not_ get to be the Editor-in-Chief of a great Metropolitan newspaper just because I can yodel! I have eyes, you know, and I can count, even if Richard can't."

Lois' heart sank. "So you know, then, who Jason's real father is," she concluded dully.

"Are you kidding?" Perry's arms were waving around, gesturing wildly to the bullpen outside his closed office door. "The entire _newsroom_ probably has it all figured out! We all noticed your mood changes after he left, and it can't possibly be any coincidence that Jason was born barely six months later!"

_Oh, great,_ Lois thought. _Just what I need: an entire newsroom of nosy reporters knowing that I had Superman's son. I can just see the headline now: __**World-Famous Journalist Lois Lane Bears Super-Hero's Love Child!**__ Can this day get any worse?_

"In fact," Perry continued, oblivious to his reporter's internal dilemma, "Probably the only two people at Planet that _don't_ know are the two men in your life: Richard and Kent."

_Wait a second,_ she thought, head snapping up. _What did he just say?_ "Cl-Clark?" she managed to croak out.

"Of course! You know, Clark Kent – your partner, the one who was on assignment with you for three days in Niagara Falls and left on that blasted World Exploration a month later? I've known since you started having morning sickness a month after he left that he was the father!

"But then Richard showed up, and attached himself to your side, so I never mentioned anything, but anyone can see. Just look at them out there! Jason looks nothing like anyone in the White family, but he's got Kent's coloring, hair, nose, and eyes. In fact, add a pair of glasses, and the kid would be the spitting image of Kent!"

_He thinks __**Clark**__ is Jason's father?_ She asked herself incredulously. Slowly, she rose and headed to the window facing the bullpen, following Perry's line of sight. She watched her son on Clark's lap. Just then, both subject's of her scrutiny felt her gaze on them and looked up. They both offered goofy smiles and enthusiastic waves, and Lois had to gasp, and to admit to herself: Jason _did_ look an awful lot like Clark.

In fact, if she didn't know for a fact that Jason was actually _Superman's_ son, she would have had to agree that she and Clark had done more on that trip to Niagara than just get a story. Too bad her memories of that trip were so fuzzy.

Deciding that allowing Perry to believe Clark was Jason's father was a better idea than the alternative of telling him the truth, Lois sighed.

"So Jason can stay with you and Alice tonight?" she asked resignedly. At her editor's brief nod, Lois headed out of the office.

_Maybe things __**would**__ be better if Clark were Jason's real father,_ she mused, then shook her head, shocked at her thoughts.

"Did I _really_ just say I wished Clark were Jason's father?" she sighed under her breath, heading to her desk. Luckily, she was turned away from him, so Lois didn't notice the bespectacled man staring wonderingly at her with a goofy grin on his face.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Richard hung up the phone after a call from a source oversees and sighed, settling back into his chair. The problem in Paris had been working itself out as they had been on the conference call, but the Editor of that office had been too stubborn to figure that out for himself, so had spent most of the call ragging on Richard.

The problems caused by the tidal wave at the Buenos Aires office were another matter. Richard would have to spend a couple weeks there, assessing the damage and seeing if the building was salvageable, or if they'd have to remove to a new location.

_Maybe I can get Lois to come with me,_ he mused thoughtfully. It would give them some much-needed time alone together, too. Plus, it would allow him to talk to her about what he had just found out from his source in London.

He would talk to her that night, and if she was amenable, he'd ask his Uncle Perry to keep Jason for a couple weeks so they could head down to help the Buenos Aires office.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_I have to tell her,_ Clark thought to himself. It was selfish of him, he knew. The last time Lois knew his identity had resulted in her breakdown.

_And_, he reminded himself, _there is the tiny little problem of her safety. If she knows, she'll be a target._ In fact, hadn't he just been telling himself that very thing not half an hour earlier?

_That was before you heard her say she wished Jason were yours,_ he argued.

"I must be going crazy," he mumbled to himself, adding the finishing touches to his story and hitting "save" with the mouse. Quickly, he sent it off to Perry for approval.

"What was that, Mr. Kent?" Jason asked, looking up from the picture he was drawing.

"Nothing, Jason," he replied, glancing over the boy's shoulder. "What's that a picture of?"

Jason grinned at his friend. "That's you changing into a policeman uniform, see?" The boy pointed out the different aspects of his drawing, while Clark watched, his face growing pale.

In the drawing, it was _Superman_ turning into a policeman, not Clark Kent.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**A/N: OK, there it is. What did you think?**

**Poll Question: Do you think Perry is really as gruff as he seems, or is he all bark and no bite?**


	5. Lois Lane, Soap Opera Star

SupportSeverusSnape: Ahh…see, now there's the question that hits the nail on the head. When will Lois figure out that Clark is really Jason's father if everyone else already knows? I thought about having Clark tell her in this chapter who he really is, but I kind of want her to find herself at least marginally attracted to Clark before he springs this on her.

SmilyFace2020: I thought it was kind of an interesting touch. If you've never worked in a bullpen or large office area before, it's…different. Everyone takes an inactive interest in everyone else's business. Inactive because everyone knows what's going on, but no one ever says anything.

CindyB: I can't tell you how many times I have read your review and cracked up over it. I love that line you used: "Jason is one itty bitty smarty." He really is, and I wanted to show that, but I never would have thought of those words…it was perfect!

MamaXunicorn: Yay! You're the only one that found it! At least, you're the only one that told me about finding it. I agree…Lane Smith (RIP) did play an extremely wonderful Perry White, and that's how I tend to think of Perry's character.

Napd567: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you continued reading this from Joe King's original posting…I'll try to live up to your expectations of it.

Lizardluvsmason: Here is the new update, as requested. Thanks for the review!

Phnx: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much…and thanks for answering the poll.

A/N: OK…the results from Chapter 4's poll question are in and the results are…**everyone** (myself included) thinks that Perry is all bark and no bite. Personally, I think he's a softy…especially when it comes to Lois, Clark, and Jimmy. Kudos to MamaXunicorn, who was the only person to mention to me that she had found the line stolen from "Lois and Clark." Yay!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_At last_! Lois sighed, logging off her computer for the night. It had taken her most of the afternoon, but she had _finally_ finished her editorial and sent it to Perry. Now all she had to do was inform Jason that he'd be spending the night with Grandpa Perry and Grandma Alice, and figure out how to tell Richard that Jason wasn't his.

She began walking towards Clark's desk, where her co-worker and her son were whispering conspiratorially. She was stopped, however, by Richard, who was poking his head out of his office and shouting at her.

"Lois!" he called. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

Sighing once again, she nodded and reluctantly changed her course. Once inside the office, Richard closed the door decisively and indicated for her to join him on the couch.

"What do you want, Richard?" she asked tiredly, barely looking at her fiancé. He, however, was staring at her so hard that she was finally forced to return his gaze.

After several long minutes, he answered her. "I want you to tell me when you were going to tell me," was his response.

Lois shook her head to clear the confusion out. "Tell you what?" she finally asked, still shaking her head.

"That I'm not Jason's father." His gaze never wavered, but his eyes softened upon her scared look. "Didn't you think I deserved to know?"

"How did you find out?" she finally asked, once she was able to find her voice. _Are there no secrets around here_?

"I just had a call from my doctor. I went to him a few days ago, wanting a sperm count." When her gaze flew back up to his, he explained further. "I wanted to know how we could have created Jason so easily the first time we were together, but why there hadn't been any subsequent children in the four years since. He just phoned me with the results: I can't have children."

"And it never occurred to you to ask me first?" she demanded, standing up. She needed to get out of this office, and quick. "It never dawned on you that I use a diaphragm?" As she reached the door, he came up behind her and placed his hand on it, effectively trapping her in.

"Let me go, Richard," she warned lowly.

"I'm not the only one that deserves to know, Lois," Richard replied, glancing in the direction of Clark's desk. "You can't keep it from him forever. He needs to know." He stepped back once he had finished his speech and gestured that she was free to leave the office.

Glaring at her fiancé, Lois turned the knob and yanked open the door. "What makes you think I haven't already informed Jason's father of his son?" Lois asked pointedly, stepping through the doorway into the bullpen. The words that greeted her as she did so, stopped her cold.

"So I have a grandma I can meet?" Lois and Richard watched Jason, who was staring up at Clark with excitement, wonder, and…something else, something she couldn't place…written across his face. "Awesome!"

"I guess that answers the question of whether Clark knows or not," Richard whispered sadly into her ear.

"I'm sorry, Richard," she responded outwardly. Inwardly, she was seething.

_Great, Lois,_ she chided herself. _You allow Perry and Richard – and, apparently, the rest of the Planet's staff – to believe that Clark is Jason's father so that Superman can have time to get to know his son in peace, and what happens? One of your meddling colleagues goes and tells Clark! What will you do now? Clark adores your son, and it's obvious that the feeling is __**very**__ mutual; how are you going to tell them the truth without crushing them both?_

Sighing, she made her way to her embarrassed friend's desk to try to sort through this mess.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Do you have a mommy and a Daddy, Mr. Clark?" Jason asked, working on yet another picture – this one of Clark (as Clark, not Superman), Lois, and Jason in front of a farmhouse.

Keeping himself from staring longingly at the drawing, Clark forced himself to answer his son's question.

"Actually, I have two sets of parents," he began. "My birth mom and dad – Jor-El and Lara – were from Krypton. They died when the planet exploded, but put me in a spaceship with some crystals. When I grew up, one of the crystals – a bright green one – glowed at me until I picked it up."

"Was it that green thing that the bald man waved in front of me?" Jason wanted to know.

Clark paled. "D-did Lex Luthor wave a green crystal in front of your face?" he finally managed. At the boy's fervent nod, Clark held his son tighter. "I'm sorry he did that."

_More sorry than I can say,_ he thought. _Perfect, Kent. Now Luthor knows that Jason is your son and that madman is still out there somewhere! If he gets a hold of more Kryptonite, there's no telling what he'll do to him!_

Jason, completely oblivious to his father's dilemma, was again chattering away. "It kinda felt weird, like when my leg falls asleep when I sit on it too long, but all over. Did your green crystal do that to you?"

Clark shook himself out of his reverie. "Huh?" he asked dumbly. "Uh, no. This wasn't the same kind of green crystal. Where was I? Oh, yeah, it was glowing. When I picked it up, it flashed even brighter. Something about it was telling me that I should fly north, so that's what I did. When it told me to land, I did and it built me a giant hideaway – kind of like a fort – that looks like it is made of ice. I kept the crystals there, and when I needed guidance on what I should do, I used them to answer my questions, because the crystals held images of Jor-El and Lara that could speak to me and give me guidance when I needed it."

"You mean, like movies?" the boy asked skeptically.

Clark chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. Kind of. More like audio-visual holograms. Like a picture that you can see and hear, but that isn't really there."

Jason scrunched up his face in disbelief, causing Clark to laugh outright. "You have to see it to believe it, I guess," he conceded.

At that comment, Jason's face lit up. "Does that mean I'll get to see it someday?" he asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately not," Clark answered darkly, shaking his head in anger. At the boy's confused and upset look, he clarified himself. "It's not that I wouldn't love to show it to you, but I can't. The crystals were stolen from the fortress."

"By the ugly bald man on the boat," Jason concluded confidently, pulling another laugh out of Clark.

"Anyway," Clark gasped, changing the subject back to their original topic. "Those were my birth parents. My _real_ parents – the ones who found me and raised me – are from Kansas. Unfortunately, my dad died when I was in high school, but my mother still lives on their farm there, in Smallville." He reached for a photo on his desk, of himself with his mother, taken shortly before he had returned to the Planet.

"So I have a grandma I can meet?" Jason announced, causing the entire newsroom – including Lois and Richard, who had just come out of the International Editor's office – to glance up from their work and watch the scene with avid interest. "Awesome!"

_Not a lot gets past you, does it, Jason?_ Clark thought with pride. Outwardly, however, he was showing his usual Clark-like terror, quivering and stuttering and turning helpless glances on Lois, Richard, and Perry, who had all made their way to Clark's desk.

"Clark, I'm sorry about that," Lois began, pulling Jason off of Clark's lap.

"No, no, Lois. _I'm_ sorry. Jason started asking me questions about my parents, but I never dreamed he'd say they were his grandparents or anything, especially so loudly-"

"It's fine, Clark!" Lois shouted, perhaps a bit more loudly and a bit more sharply than she had intended it to come out. She softened her voice and her gaze. "It's not anybody's fault that it happened like this," she added. Making a decision, she blurted out the question she knew she had to ask, before she could change her mind. "Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?"

At his dumbfounded nod, she gestured to the conference room. "In there?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Clark, I'm really sorry about that," Lois began, once they had locked themselves in the smaller of the two conference rooms.

"Lois, don't worry about it; it's just a small misunderstanding, that's all." Clark reassured her.

"No, Clark. It's not a small misunderstanding. Perry and Richard think that _you_ are Jason's real father, and someone must have told you, too." She sighed out the last syllable, causing it to come out in a near-whisper.

_**You**__ told me, Lois,_ he thought to himself. He knew that this would be the perfect time to tell her that he was Superman, but he resisted. If Luthor was still out there and if – as Jason had suggested – he guessed that Jason was Superman's son, then Luthor needed to be dealt with before Clark could ever even _think_ of telling Lois the truth about his identity.

"No one told me, Lois," Clark stated. Which, in a way, was true. No one had told _Clark_ that Jason was his son, only _Superman_. "Like I said, Jason asked me about my parents, and then he blurted it out."

"At least he doesn't seem to have acquired his super-hearing, too," Lois muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Clark blurted out before he had a chance to recall that he probably wasn't supposed to have been able to hear that last sentence.

Lois paled, then looked resigned. "Well, my secret is out…Superman is Jason's father. You won't tell anyone, will you?" she looked so unsure of herself that Clark would have laughed, had he found the situation at all funny. Lois _never_ looked unsure of herself.

"Your secret is safe with me," he grinned at her; that same goofy grin that she saw so often on her son, which recalled her to the purpose of this meeting.

"I do have a _really_ big favor to ask of you besides the one I just did," she began. "Since everyone seems to know that Richard isn't Jason's father, and they all think that you and I…at Niagara…they all think that _you_ are his father instead. Would you mind…" she trailed off, not able to finish her request.

Luckily, Clark picked up on what she was asking.

"You want me to pretend to be Jason's father to curtail the office gossip, allow Richard and Perry to believe that you and I engaged in an illicit affair in Niagara, allow Superman to continue to get to know Jason, and prevent anyone from finding out that it's really _Superman_ that fathered Jason," he supplied.

"When did my life become a soap opera?" she asked rhetorically. Clark laughed.

"I'll play along, but eventually the truth will have to come out." He spoke, of course, of one day telling _her_ the truth of his alter-ego, but led her to believe he meant her situation.

She nodded. "We'll work out visitation schedules and the like tomorrow. Jason is going home with Perry tonight, so that Richard and I can talk about how this will affect our relationship.

"Does it have to affect it?" he asked. At her look, he surrendered. "Sorry, that's none of my business." He opened the door and stood aside, allowing her to precede him back into the newsroom.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: OK, I know this situation might seem a bit confusing to some people, so let me elaborate. No one knows – except Clark, Jason, Martha, and maybe Perry (I haven't decided yet) – that Clark and Superman are one and the same. Perry, Richard, and everyone else at the Daily Planet think that _Clark_ is Jason's father. Lois thinks it's _Superman_, so she allows them to believe that it's Clark, not knowing that it really is Clark. Does that make sense?

**Poll Question: Is Perry perceptive enough (even though he wasn't made ENC of a major metropolitan newspaper because he could yodel) to have figured out on his own who Clark really is?**


	6. Unexpected Request

MamaXunicorn: Everyone always does the "Lois tells Richard that Jason isn't his and they argue and fight about it" routine. I figured Richard needed to find out on his own before he spoke to Lois, so that way he could have a little bit of time to deal with it. Also, I really like Richard (not for Lois - that place will always belong to Clark) and don't want to cut him out of the story. That's another thing so many people do: they send Richard back to London. How does the man deserve that?

Napd567: Perry is a _very_ perceptive person, and knows what's going on in the newsroom a lot more than people give him credit for. Jimmy's a bright kid, but he's a little dense sometimes. I think he would actually have to be like Jason: see Clark in front of a photograph of Superman before he ever picked up on the similarities.

Shado Librarian: What can I say? People see what they want to see, I guess. I actually never quite understood that, either. Did Clark take a 5-year hiatus in the comic books? I've never read them, so I wouldn't know. I only know that Lois and Clark get married eventually.

SupportSeverusSnape: It _is_ very obvious that Clark is Superman - to those that know. I don't know about the comic books, since Jonathan died when Clark was a teenager in them, but I know in the television series, he was skeptical that a pair of glasses would disguise Clark. It was _Martha_ that had to point out that nobody would be looking at his face when he had the tights on, anyhow. ;-) Maybe that's what actually happened...everyone's so busy looking at the tights - and imagining the body underneath - that nobody is actually looking at his _face_.

Superlc529: I'm glad you love this story so much. We writers love hearing stuff like that because it makes us want to write more. And I'm glad you appreciate my idea to have the staff sort of figure out on their own that Clark is Jason's real father. They always did seem like busybodies to me...you know, kind of like an extended family that, every time you see them, ask you when your going to meet somebody already?

Heala: This is true...you _don't_ get to be Editor in Chief of a newspaper by being an idiot...and it's completely something Perry would say, too. He's a sharp guy, he should have figured it out, if he'd been paying attention. Then again, so should have Lois, since she's the person closest to both of them.

Sreya: That's an interesting point that I hadn't thought of...would Perry make Clark have more (or even _all_) the Superman assignments rather than foisting them on such an unwilling Lois? Something to think about, certainly. I know, but it's I think the most plausible. I've worked in an office setting, and everyone takes a morbid curiosity in everyone else's personal lives. I even had people try to set me up, then proceed to show me some interesting "positions". It wasn't pretty.

MistressBabette51: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. It makes it that much more fun to write when I know that there are people waiting for the next installment. I love, too, how you read all five chapters at once, but reviewed individually for them, so I could get your thoughts as they came to you. And it never even dawned on me that I was stringing people along about whether Jason knows or not until I read your reviews. The first three kept saying "I'm curious, does Jason know, or doesn't he?" then in the fourth one it was "Aha! I knew it!" Made me laugh, I must say. Yes, Jason knows, but his mother doesn't, so that should be interesting to watch.

RubyKK: Jimmy, huh? Maybe...that might be an interesting plot twist that no one was thinking of. I'll keep it in mind.

Nell Lime: I know you thought the first three chapters had some grammar problems, so I'll explain. This story is not my own creation. A writer by the name of Joe King began it and wrote the first three chapters, then chose me to continue it when she decided that she couldn't. When I posted this story, I left the first three chapters the way she had written them, because that was what I thought was fair to her. I'm glad you're enjoying it, however, and I look forward to hearing more back from you in the future.

Olmedo: I'm glad you're following my convoluted storyline. I read it and _I_ almost didn't understand it. I still don't know about Perry...it might be a few more chapters to decide whether or not he knows. There seems to be split opinions on the subject.

A/N: OK, I'm back. My computer crashed and was down for a couple months, then when I finally got it back, all my work was gone, so I had to create duplicates from what had been posted already. I really hate that. Anyhow, in response to the Poll Question, most people think that Perry _is_ perceptive enough to figure out that Clark is Superman, but there are three or four that don't think he is, and one or two think that Jimmy would be more likely to find out before Perry does. I'm still undecided on the subject. Part of me thinks he knows, and the other part thinks he's completely clueless. We'll see how it goes, I guess.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Clark groaned as he flew through his empty window at five the next morning. He had gone down to Buenos Aires to help with whatever urgent problems there were as a result of the tidal wave that had hit, then had flown to Germany to help with a forest fire, an earthquake in China, and Mt. Etna had threatened to erupt. Good thing he didn't need more than a couple hours of sleep a night; he was exhausted. Resolving to spend at least half an hour above the cloud cover before work to recharge his batteries, he quickly changed into a pair of pajama pants and fell into bed.

He awoke two hours later feeling nearly refreshed. He breezed through his morning rituals of shower, laser shave from his heat vision reflected in the mirror, teeth brushing, and dressing, before zipping up above the cloud cover, laying back on a cloud, and soaking up the rays.

_Forget Hawai'i or the Caribbean_, he thought contentedly. _**This**__ is paradise._

An hour later found him whistling as he left the elevator at the Daily Planet and walked out into the newsroom. He was greeted by a grim hush. Seeing Jimmy across the room, he placed his briefcase on his desk and moseyed on over.

"What's going on, Jimmy?" he asked, reaching for the coffee pot to refill his travel mug.

The younger man smirked. "Well, when Lois and Richard came in this morning, they weren't all chatty and close like they usually are. They were silent. Lois walked to her desk, Richard walked to his office, that was it. No good morning kiss, nothing. Now Richard's making plans for a three-week trip to Argentina, _alone_."

The men watched Lois for a moment, before she glanced up and Jimmy went scurrying off to the copy room. Clark did his trademark goofy grin and wave, which Lois smiled wryly at and waved back to.

Clark headed back to his desk, booted up his computer, and began working on the threatened eruption from Etna. He figured if he had to spend half the night battling it, he may as well take his frustrations with the night's events out on his computer and get a story out of it. So engrossed was he with his work, that he almost missed the office buzz until he specifically heard his name mentioned in conjunction with Lois'.

"Didn't think Kent would ever have the gumption to jump in the sack with 'Mad Dog Lane'. Figured she'd have eaten him alive," he heard Bernie, from International, say.

"I'll tell you something, if she can lower herself to tinker around with that hack from Nowheresville, I may just make a crack at her myself," Tom, from Obits, announced.

Clark was so upset at having heard those statements that his hands clenched. Unfortunately, his right one was on his mouse at the time, so the poor computer part crumbled into a thousand pieces. Hurriedly, he swept the plastic pieces off his desk, unplugged the cord from the back of his computer tower, and threw everything away. On his way to the supply closet to fetch a new mouse, he heard some more gossip.

"I don't know what he sees in her," Kelsey, from Society, commented. "I mean, he's an attractive and intelligent guy. Sweet, too. A little puppy-dog-ish, maybe, but charming, you know? And he _worships_ her, and she treats him like dirt. He even lets their _son_ be raised by her fiancé, and never says a word! I'm telling you, if he ever took his eyes away from her for two seconds, I'd show him how a man _should_ be treated."

"Who wants a relationship hassle?" the Gossip Columnist, Cat Grant, asked. "I'd really just like to take him on a ride around the block, see what kind of mileage he has."

Clark inwardly grimaced at such crass language and ill-breeding. His parents had raised him to treat all ladies with respect, but he was seriously wondering if that rule applied when ladies didn't act like ladies. He entered the closet, grabbed a new mouse, some extra pencils, and another notebook, and headed back out to his desk, careful to steer clear of the gossiping banshees.

"Clark, can I see you for a minute, please?" Lois called from the doorway to the conference room.

Sighing mentally, Clark nodded and headed over.

"What's up, Lois?" he asked, once they had entered the room and the door had been shut behind them.

"I need a really big favor," she began, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

"Bigger than making the office believe that I'm the father of your love child to allow his _actual_ father time to get to know him better, and hearing all kinds of ill-bred and unkind remarks in the newsroom?" he asked amusedly.

She smiled lopsidedly, then processed the last part of his statement. "Wait, what remarks?" she demanded angrily. "What have people been saying about us?"

Clark pretended to turn scared and wide eyes on her. "N-n-n-nothing, Lois," he stammered. "J-j-just, you kn-kn-kn-know, the u-u-usual."

"No, I don't 'kn-kn-kn-know what the u-u-usual' is, Clark," she responded testily.

Clark sighed again. _How do I get myself into these messes with her?_ He thought morosely. _I'm a reasonably coherent person - well, alien, I guess - most of the time, right?_

"They're just...concerned...about our difference in personality, that's all," he explained, trying desperately to keep their exact comments away from her. "So what's your favor?" he asked, hoping the subject change would distract her.

It worked.

"Oh, yeah, right. Well, Richard's leaving for Buenos Aires tomorrow morning. Something about structural damage to the Argentinian branch of the Planet." Clark nodded that he was listening, wondering what on earth the International Editor's travel plans had to do with him.

"And Perry called me into his office this morning, wanting me to spend the next few weeks in London, covering the airline terrorist plot, and the rapes and murders that have been happening there recently," Lois continued, ignoring Clark's worried look.

"You _will_ be careful, won't you, Lois?" he demanded, tilting his head and looking at her over his glasses.

_I must be hallucinating,_ she thought to herself. _For a second there, he almost looked like...Nah, that's not possible. Come on, Lane, focus!_

"Lois?" he called, worried about her sudden dazed and confused look.

"Huh?" she asked, shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah, absolutely, I'll be careful," she promised. "But I need someone to look after Jason while we're gone. I can't ask Perry and Alice to take him for so long...they've raised their kids and it wouldn't be fair to either of them. And well, Superman...that's out of the question, for obvious reasons. Would you take him?" she finally blurted out.

Her request staggered him. To be able to spend the next three weeks alone with his son...it was more than he'd allowed himself to hope for the past weeks since he found out he had a son. There was just one small problem.

"I'd be happy to take him, Lois, but I should tell you that I'm supposed to head to Houston for a few days around the fourth to cover the Discovery launch." At her dejected look, he thought of something. "He's welcome to come with me, if you don't object. It might be a good opportunity for him. Educational, you know?" he grinned.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I know we're not supposed to take him on our trips, and I don't want you to be distracted from your job," she offered.

"I'll talk to Mr. White. I'm sure he'll appreciate the situation, and agree that Jason is much better off watching a Space Shuttle flight than wandering around Buenos Aires looking for a location for the newspaper, or traipsing along after rapists and murderers in London," he pointed out sensibly.

"Good point," she agreed wryly. "OK, thanks Clark, I really appreciate this. I have to leave early in the morning, too, so I'll drop him off later tonight, OK?"

"Sounds like a plan." He opened the door for her and followed her out, pulling the door shut behind him, grinning all the way back to his desk.

_Not even that meddling gossip-monger Cat Grant can ruin my mood today,_ he thought contentedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: OK, that was really short, and I apologize. It also didn't go at all the way I wanted it to, but that's how these things go, I guess. I couldn't think of anything more to write, so I thought I'd send out what I had, so you guys would have _something_ to read after so many months of silence from me.

**Poll Question:** **This is more like a request than a poll. Are there any ideas for what should happen, because I am at a loss. Please help!**


	7. A Tangled Web Woven

MamaXunicorn: I didn't mean to offend you or your work when I wrote that. A lot of people do send Richard off to London, most commonly, as a way to get him out of Clark's way. In fact, someone had just told me I should do that right before I had answered your last review, which was why I added that. Anyhow, thanks for the idea regarding how to reveal to Lois who Clark really is...I'll keep it in mind when the time comes.

ClarkR: Your review _cracked me up_! You certainly got the comedy in it that you wanted. And your idea about Jason and Clark was a really good one. And thanks for the info regarding the virus...any small step I can take to keep my stone-age piece of junk machine with me is always welcome.

D-scarlet: That's a good idea, too, and one I had actually been thinking of. I'm just not sure _when_ he should go see her. Let me think about this for awhile...

CindyB: Ooh, the crystal! I completely forgot about it! Thanks so much for the idea. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much.

Vgerland: Thanks for the suggestion. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much.

Starlightxxv: I'm glad I achieved that "uniqueness" I was hoping to find, then.

ReadingRed: Don't worry about not having any ideas for me. The others have already given me a few, so I've got plots to last me the next few chapters, at least. Maybe by then my own creative juices will be flowing again and I will be able to come up with my own plots.

A/N: Thank you so much, everyone, for all the great ideas! I think I'm set for at least the next few chapters, so I appreciate it a lot.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A few days later, Clark flew Jason to a place that had been a very important part of his upbringing: his parents' farm. Martha heard the tell-tale sonic boom that let her know her son had come for a visit and ran excitedly to the back door to greet him. The sight that greeted _her_, however, took her by even more surprise.

She glanced from Clark, who had switched back to civilian clothes, to Lois Lane's little boy - the one she had seen leaving the hospital with Lois when Clark had been so ill. _Lois must know who Clark is,_ she thought to herself. _That's the only explanation that makes any sense._

"Clark?" she finally asked, coming up to her son and glancing pointedly down at Jason.

"Hi, Ma," he grinned, abashed, kissing her on the cheek. "This is Jason." He held out his arms to pick up the boy, who complied willingly. "We have a lot to talk about, and I have _a lot_ to tell you, but not out here, OK?"

She tilted her head, trying to figure out what he was about, but nodded and turned her attention to her young guest. "Jason, do you like hot chocolate?" she asked.

"Is it made with soy milk?" the four-year old replied. "I can't have the reg'lar kind."

"Jason has a long list of allergies, Ma," Clark explained, carrying Jason up the back stairs and holding the door open for his mother. "Don't worry, though; I'll go get the soy milk."

"Don't be silly, Clark!" she admonished, pulling out a kitchen chair for Clark to set the youngster on. "I have some soy right here."

"You do?" he regarded her suspiciously as she pulled the tetra-pak box out of the refrigerator. "Why?"

"Ben's granddaughter came to visit him last week when we went to see you," she began, measuring the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and a little water into a small saucepan. "She's still here visiting him, and she's lactose intolerant."

"And you have the soy alternative around for when Ben brings her by on his evening visits," Clark supplied.

Martha nodded, checking the temperature of the chocolate sauce and adding a measured amount of the soy to it. She poured the finished drink into a mug, added a few homemade marshmallows and placed it in front of Jason, reminding him of the high temperature. For herself and Clark, she poured some tea.

"Now, suppose you tell me what's going on?" she requested, sitting down next to her son and nodding towards Jason. "Why do you have Lois Lane's son with you, and why do they know your secret?"

"My mommy doesn't know yet," Jason supplied, happily licking the marshmallows off the top of his drink. Martha turned startled eyes towards Clark, who squirmed uncomfortably.

"Jason, why don't you take your chocolate and sit with Lady on the porch?" he suggested. "Just stay on the porch," he added, thinking the boy might find it fun to explore the farm.

Once he was comfortably out of earshot, Clark turned to his mother and began his story. "This is such a mess, Ma. Jason's mine, and everyone knows it, but nobody knows it." At her confused look, he clarified himself.

"Lois and I had a, a, thing, I guess, before I left. But she doesn't remember it, so for the last five years she thought that Jason was her fiancé Richard's son. Until they were kidnapped by Lex Luthor and Jason threw a piano at one of his goons."

"Oh, my," Martha breathed, eyes going wide, nodding for her son to continue the story.

"So now Lois knows that Jason is Superman's son, but doesn't know that he's also Clark's son. And the rest of the Planet staff - Richard included, apparently - has figured out that Jason is Clark's son, but doesn't realize that he's also Superman's son. Lois wants Superman to be able to get to know Jason uninterrupted, so she has gone along with the office gossip that Clark is the father of her child, and has asked Clark to be able to take care of Jason while she and Richard are away on assignments, instructing him to leave Jason's window open at night to let Superman in to see his son."

Martha nodded slowly, before gradually giving way to the urge inside of her to laugh. Pretty soon she had to release her hold on her tea cup for fear of spilling the tea inside, or breaking the cup from the vibrations caused by her laughter.

"This isn't funny, Ma!" he demanded, eyes desperate.

"No, it isn't," she agreed, sobering herself slightly. "But, oh, Honey, I was afraid this day would come. You're beginning to talk about yourself in the third person!" Suddenly she had a thought. "Clark, if Lois doesn't know who you are, then how does _Jason_?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "He was sitting on my lap the other day at the Planet and was drawing a picture of me turning into a policeman, but when I glanced down at the drawing, it was _Superman_ turning into a policeman." He knit his brows, flipping through the scenes in his eidetic memory. There was some small detail that was niggling at him...

"That's it!" he finally announced, suddenly remembering what had been picking at his brain the last few days. "I was talking with Richard and Lois at the Planet a couple of weeks ago, just after I came back. Jason was there, too, staring at me, then turning his attention to the television behind me, where there was a story on Superman saving that shuttle launch. There must have been a photograph of Superman on the television screen directly behind me, and Jason picked up on it." He shrugged. "That's the only explanation I can think of, anyhow."

"But how did he put together that you're his father? Or is he going along with Lois' story, too?"

"No, he knows," he shook his head. "After I pulled Lois, Jason, and Richard out of Lex Luthor's sinking yacht and put them back in their plane, I went to see Luthor on his little 'island'. You know the results of that encounter." He rubbed the still-healing stab wound on his back as she nodded soberly.

"Well, it was Lois that saved me, pulling me out of the water and pulling that Kryptonite shard out of my back and throwing it out of the plane so I would heal. What I didn't know until Lois mentioned it to me, Clark, when she dropped Jason off is that it was actually _Jason_ that saw Superman in the water, from the helicopter." He glanced outside to see his son sitting next to his mother's golden lab, slowly petting her as he sipped his chocolate.

"He showed Richard where I had gone under the water, Richard landed the hydroplane there, and Lois jumped in to pull me out. I'm thinking if Jason inherited my strength and my sight, maybe he inherited more of my powers and heard Lois when she whispered it into my ear in the hospital that Jason is mine."

"What did Lois tell you when she asked you to go along with this plan of hers?" Martha inquired. "She must have said _something_ she thought was a plausible excuse for why she thought you had to pretend to be Jason's father."

"She told me the truth: that Superman is Jason's father," he replied honestly.

"And when are you going to tell _her_ the truth?" she asked pointedly. "She needs to know the truth, Clark. She's the mother of your _child_, for goodness' sake."

"I know, Ma. I _will_ tell her, eventually, but I can't right now. Luthor's still out there, and if she knew my secret and he got a hold of her again, there's no telling what might happen!" he defended.

"Clark Jerome Kent, you cannot seriously expect that Lois would tell your secret if she knew it, do you?" Martha demanded, eyes blazing.

"She's a reporter, Ma," Clark pointed out rationally. "It's her job to find out people's secrets _and expose them_." He sighed.

"On basic principle, no I don't think she would tell my secret," he finally admitted. "But I don't want that secret to ever place her in danger. It's bad enough that Jason knows."

"That's another thing, Clark," Martha leaned back in her chair. "You can't seriously expect a four-and-a-half-year-old to keep a secret like this, do you? Especially from his mother? It's not going to happen."

"Jason's very bright for his age, Ma," Clark argued weakly.

"I'm sure he is," she replied calmly. "But so were you. It's that whole Kryptonian gene pool that makes you both brilliant; I'm sure it is. But Clark honey, when you were Jason's age, you were telling me _everything_. We didn't have any secrets from each other. And Jason will be the same way. He might be able to keep your secret for a week; maybe two, but no longer." She took a deep breath and pressed her point.

"And do you really think that Lois would ever let you spend time with Jason again if she found out you had him lying to her? Forget it, you might as well kiss your relationship with your son good-bye," she insisted. "As both Clark _and_ Superman. And then I'd never be able to get to know my grandson, and that is something, I'm telling you right now, I will _not_ let you destroy!"

Clark smiled at the ferocity in his mother's voice. He knew she had been disappointed and feeling guilty when she found out she couldn't have children, and that both she and his dad had considered his unexpected landing in their field a miracle, of sorts. _She must be thrilled at the thought of a grandchild to spoil,_ he mused. _Do I really have the right to take that away from her? Face it, Kent, you know Lois well enough to know that everything your mother just said is true._

"You're right, Ma," he finally admitted. "Lois would never forgive me for telling her son to keep secrets from her. It's just, she's known once before, and you didn't see the look of anguish on her face. How can I put her through that again?" he wondered.

"She's strong; she'll get through it," Martha replied. "She's gotten through everything else that's been thrown her way, hasn't she? Honestly, from what you've told me of her, her life could almost be a movie, or a television series, or a comic book, or something." She smiled at her son knowingly. "So could someone else's life, who shall remain nameless," she winked.

"It's getting late; I should get Jason home and in bed," Clark mentioned, noticing the darkening skies.

"Does Mr. White know you were taking the day off?" Martha asked suddenly, not wanting her son to get into trouble for missing any more work than he already had.

"He's sending me to Houston to cover the shuttle launch on the fourth," he replied. "He let me off a few days early to have some time to spend with Jason."

"Then stay here," Martha requested. "Jason can stay in your room and you can have the guest room. Please, Clark?"

Realizing that his mother needed to spend time with his son as much as he did, he nodded his agreement, calling Jason in from the porch, explaining the plan to him, and sending him upstairs for his bath.

_Oh, what a tangled web we weave,_ he recited to himself, musing on the odd situation he currently found himself in. His mother was right; Lois needed to know, and _soon_.

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**Poll Question: Should Clark tell Lois his secret, should Jason tell her, or should she find out on her own by accident?**


	8. Thoughts at Breakfast

KitCloudkicker52885: I agree; there are an awful lot of stories where Lois finds out on her own. Thanks for the vote and the review – I'll take them into consideration!

Adventure-Seeking-Juliet: I'm so glad you like the story! It's always great for a writer to find out those that read their stories enjoy them. I'm glad you related your review to your own story, since it lets me know that at least someone who reads this story writes them and knows how hard it is to come up with plots.

MamaXunicorn: Wouldn't she flip out on him if Jason told her? I think she'd flip out no matter what, but if Jason told her that Superman was Clark, she'd freak. Thanks for the input!

Heala: I'm glad you enjoyed the Martha dynamic.

Con-Nike: Thanks for the review and for the vote! I'll take them into consideration when the time comes for Lois to find out.

Lilbit4: Hmmm….hitting Clark. Could be a way for Jason to come to Clark's defense. Lois can't forbid Clark from seeing Jason if Jason's already attached to Clark…pondering, pondering…

ReadingRed: Thanks for voting…I'm glad you enjoy the story enough to actually vote.

Mistressbabette51: I'm glad you're liking Jason so much…he really is a lot of fun to write. This chapter has a lot of his thoughts in it…told from his perspective, so to speak.

JamesTKent: That's an interesting take on it, and one that I actually hadn't thought of before. I'll keep it in mind, thanks!

D-scarlet: Happy dance, huh? Well, then there should be more happy dancing for this chapter since it's still Kent boys on the farm.

Vullinia: Thanks for the review…it means a lot!!

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Jason woke up the next morning, momentarily disoriented and panicking at the unfamiliar surroundings he found himself in. Then Lady came bounding into his bedroom, jumped on his bed, and began licking his face, and yesterday's events all came back to him.

_I'm at my Grandma's house!_ he thought to himself excitedly, ruffling Lady's fur and launching himself out of bed. Passing by the window, he noticed his dad out chopping wood. _Why doesn't he just whiz through the wood pile if he's Superman?_ he wondered before snapping himself out of the reverie and tearing down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Martha was at the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Good morning, Jason," she stated cheerily, never turning around. "Are you hungry?"

"Hi, Grandma!" he replied happily, sitting at the table. "How'd you know it was me?"

Martha, momentarily stunned, watched her grandson for a moment before turning back to the stove and responding airily, "Oh, you know, you're so much like your father; he used to come bounding down the stairs like that, too. I don't think he's ever slept past seven-thirty in his entire life."

"Really?" This was news to Jason, who had also never slept in. In fact, there had been several Saturdays in which he had had to pull either his mother or Richard out of bed so he wasn't awake by himself, which was a house rule. It was nice to know he wouldn't have to worry about that here, and that he had gotten his love of mornings from _somewhere_. "What else?" he asked, anxious to learn more about his new-found father.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to hear any more, because Clark chose that moment to walk through the back door.

"Clark, Honey, wipe your feet!" Martha shouted over her shoulder. Then, quietly to Jason, "I'll tell you later, Dear," as she placed a plate filled with bacon, eggs, and pancakes in front of him.

"Telling stories about me, Ma?" Clark accused good-naturedly, pulling a pitcher of orange juice out of the refrigerator and pouring a glass for Jason.

"I don't know what you're talking about, son," she smiled shakily, loading a plate of food for Clark and one for herself while Clark poured them each a second cup of coffee.

"_Ma?_" Jason heard his dad whisper to his grandma. "_What's wrong?_"

Martha glanced at Jason, who hurriedly looked down at his plate so they wouldn't know he'd been listening to them. He tried not to, but he heard what was said next, too.

"_He called me 'Grandma',_" Martha replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"_Amazing feeling, isn't it? Lois told him to start calling me 'Daddy' to appease the office gossips. The first time I heard him call me that, I swear I felt ten times stronger than I am._" Clark replied.

The two adults came back to the table, sat down, and began to eat. Martha regarded her son and grandson thoughtfully, smiling as she noticed how they attacked their breakfasts in the same methodical way, beginning with spreading butter over each of their pancakes, then making sure that each pancake had precisely the same amount of syrup…suddenly she had a thought.

"Clark?" she began quietly. Once she was sure she had her son's attention, she continued. "Have you told Jason about the health problems you had when you were little?"

Clark nervously gulped down the bite of pancake that was in his mouth, glancing from his son's startled expression to his mother's knowing one.

"You had health problems, too, Daddy?" Jason asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, my, yes!" Martha supplied, knowing Clark disliked talking about himself. "He had asthma until he was just about your age, and he was allergic to just about everything under the sun."

"Grass, wheat, dairy, pollen, dogs, cats, wool, eggs…not fun for a little boy growing up on a farm. In fact," Clark chuckled, remembering, "just about the only thing I _wasn't_ allergic to was the sun. When I discovered how much better being in the sun made me feel, I spent all my time outside on sunny days. Then, one day, all my health problems just…disappeared. That's when I really started getting stronger and faster…started flying when I was about sixteen, and my vision got better when I was about eighteen."

"Do you think the sun might help me with my allergies, Daddy?" Jason inquired, taking a sip of juice to wash down his bacon.

Clark looked up at his mother, who nodded wisely.

Clark grinned. "I think it just might, Jason. It's cloudy today," glancing outside, "but how about, after morning chores, you and I go slip above the cloud cover and sit in the sun…see how that makes you feel?"

"Yeah!" the four-year-old replied, eager to finish his breakfast so he could go flying with his dad.

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A/N: OK, so I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to get it out to you guys so you could have something to read. You have, after all, been waiting since the summer. Not much happened…just a typical breakfast, but I thought it was important for Jason to spend some time sitting at a meal, talking with family members. It doesn't seem like he gets a whole lot of that with Richard and Lois.

**Poll Question: Who was your favorite Superman (George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Brandon Routh, Tom Welling, etc.) and why?**


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